The Wildest Hath Not Such a Heart
by megan23451
Summary: Nolan's finally come to his senses... What happens when a girl finally invades Welton? Warning: I laugh in the face of canon.
1. Tradition or Travesty?

Hello guys! New author, first attempt at a story. Non-canon, it does NOT go by the plot of the movie. Fair warning.

Aubrey glanced once more around the large hall, in which sat quite a few students and a smaller number of teachers. She smirked. Welton had opened its doors to her and her alone, probably as a test, but she had accepted gratefully. She was to finish her schooling there, and if there was no trouble, there would be more like her appearing through the halls that had once been purely male. She finished the hymn an octave above everyone else, then sat down to listen to Mr. Nolan speak.

"This school has always been about tradition," he started, letting his voice ring throughout the hall. "Tradition in the sense that this has always been a school for young _men._" He glanced over at her and smiled, almost wistfully. "This year, tradition has been abandoned, and we have made room for a young _lady_ to study here. I trust that you will make her feel welcome, as she is a leader among young women. If she does well here, you may very well begin to see other girls in our school by next year."

As he droned on and on, addressing the rest of the boys, she felt quite a few pairs of eyes on her. She looked around for a moment, recognizing what was happening - a few of the ones she was sitting around searched for her with their eyes, then grinned and whispered to their friends. Before she knew it, half of the boys were watching her.

Once his speech was completed, she left quickly, heading toward her room to unpack. No sooner had she unzipped her suitcase than she heard voices in the hall.

"A girl? Here? Nolan must be losing his mind."

"I've heard she's a lesbian."

"She's living in this hallway, I think."

She smirked and brushed her long, brown hair away from her face, going back into the hallway. "She's not a dyke," she called to the few boys standing there. "But yes, she's living right here." She closed the door behind her and raised an eyebrow.

A taller boy with dark hair stepped in front of her. "Ah, so this is the lady! Charlie Dalton, at your service," he said, mocking in his voice and his movements. He bowed slightly in false courtesy, kissing her hand gently. "These are my friends - Todd Anderson, Neil Perry, Knox Overstreet, and Meeks and Pitts. Call them my minions, if you so choose."

She nodded to each of them, smirking. "Aubrey Smith," she murmured, taking her hand back.

"What brings you to the hallowed halls of Hellton?" Neil asked, gesturing around him at the dark doors and the few boys crowded around her.

She shrugged. "I was a test subject. Best in my year at Ladywood, a girls' school not far from here, they asked me to come and see if girls at Welton was a good idea."

Charlie was already eyeing her, a wolfish grin appearing on his face. "I'd say it is so far."

"Don't get your hopes up, Dalton," she laughed. "I'm smarter than you think.

Charlie just smirked. "I'll remember that. I'm right next door, so knock after dinner, I'll show you around. Good to meet you, Aubrey," he called, winking as he turned for his room.

She laughed. "You too, boys. See you tonight." She retreated to her room to unpack at last.


	2. Hot Seat

New chapter! I've got a lot of this written, all I need to do is type it up. R&R please :D

* * *

Aubrey finished unpacking in her room, then looked up at the clock. Nearly seven, the other boys had to be done by now... She knocked on the door beside hers softly, and Charlie poked his head out. "Aubrey! I was wondering if I'd have to come get you myself. This way, the others must be waiting..." He guided her down the hall, a hand at the small of her back. 

"Ah, here comes the lady," Neil laughed as the two entered the students' lounge. He swung his feet off the couch to make room for the two of them, then folded his hands behind his head. The others all switched positions to grin at her.

Finally, Dalton spoke, leaning against the armrest and smirking. "So, I believe we deemed this the 'hot seat', yes?" The others nodded. "Means you have to tell us about yourself," he added with a smile.

She shrugged, leaning back. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

Neil spoke first. "Where did you say you come from again?"

"Ladywood, a few miles from here. Girls' school." She grinned. "You probably guessed, though."

"Do you have your schedule on you?" Meeks asked from around Knox's shoulder.

She nodded, drawing it out of the pocket of her blazer and tossing it to him. "Chem, Latin, trig, English, gym."

He looked at it, then grinned widely. "I think you're with most of us for class."

She smiled. "Thanks. So, anything else?"

Charlie was raising his hand, a suggestive smile on his face. "Will you be wearing a girls' uniform?"

"I'll be wearing pants, same as you," she sighed, rolling her eyes. Honestly, boys... "Won't catch me dead in a skirt. I hated wearing them at Ladywood, and out of uniform... forget it."

"You sure?" Neil asked, grinning as well. "There's a dance in a couple of weeks for one of the other girls' schools and us. Would be a shame if you weren't dressed up."

She thought about that for a moment. "All right, I do still have a skirt or two. If you're _lucky_, you'll get me into it."

They spoke for awhile, though they were kicked out by Mr. Nolan around ten. She headed back to the dorm rooms with the boys. "If you'd like, we can wait for you here tomorrow morning," Neil spoke up, just before he headed into his room. "We can all head down to breakfast together."

She smiled. "Sure. Night, boys." With a wave, she disappeared into her room.

The boys stayed outside for a moment, Dalton smirking as he stepped into the center of the ring. "She said if we're lucky, we'll get her in a skirt. Seems to me we'll be luckier to get her out of it."


	3. Of Single Rooms and Quiet Whispers

The next morning, she awoke early and dressed, pulling her dark hair up into a ponytail. Normally she didn't care what she looked like, but... she lived with boys now. If she was to be noticed, it was easier if she at least looked good. After cleaning up and dressing, she headed out the door.

"Morning, lovely," Charlie called, wrapping an arm around her waist as he came closer. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Could be better. And you, my boys?" she asked, glancing about.

The others shrugged, and Neil laughed. "Beautiful. Let's get some food, yeah?"

They sat down in the dining hall, each at their own place down a long table. She smiled and sat down, glancing at the silver and china. "Please don't let me get used to this," she muttered to Neil, who had sat down to her right. "Otherwise when I come home for Christmas, I'll ask Mom where the good china is when it's _out on the table_."

He laughed. "Just eat, after awhile you don't notice it."

After breakfast, they headed to their classes, meeting up in between. "Keating is the coolest teacher," Neil burst out.

"He is," agreed Aubrey. "I really like the Captain."

Charlie laughed. "He's going to be really fun, I think."

They met up again in the afternoon, after all their classes were finished. They found a tree to sit under, and they just... talked. It seemed to be normal to settle into a steady bit of conversation. Finally, Charlie spoke up. "Settling in all right, Aubrey?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, I've been here less than a day, but it's not bad overall."

"That's good. So you're comfortable?" Neil asked.

"Yeah. I have a single room, so it's not as if I need to worry about anything. Lock doesn't work, though," she muttered as an afterthought. Then she saw the look on Charlie's face. "Don't take advantage of that," she added, crossing her arms.

He just laughed. "Won't, promise."

It was much later, just before lights out, that someone knocked on the door of her room. "Come in," she called from her bed, where she was lying and reading a book.

Charlie poked his head in. "Evening," he murmured, shutting the door behind him.

She put her book down. "Hey, Dalton. What's up?"

"Just wanted to talk. You have a minute?" He was hovering uncomfortably.

She gestured to the chair by her desk. "I have a lot of minutes. Sit down, please."

He smiled and did so. "Listen, there was one thing in particular. There's this thing coming up, a dance of sorts with a girls' school. It's the biggest one, around Halloween. I was wondering-"

"Stop." Aubrey held up a hand, sighing softly. "I don't want to go with you. Ask in a couple of weeks and my answer may change." Charlie looked crestfallen. "Dammit, Dalton, I just met you," she pleaded. "I just don't want to make a stupid mistake."

He nodded slowly, getting up to leave. "I guess that makes sense. Get some sleep, okay?" he murmured, ruffling her hair gently.

She grinned. "Good night, Charlie."


	4. Keating's Legacy Lives On

The next few days went by in much the same way - full of classes, "study group", and simply being around each other. It was something they had gotten used to, falling into a pattern easily. One night, though, there was a difference.

Neil was the one that knocked on her door. Once she had opened it, he grinned. "Will you come outside with us? There's something we want to show you."

She glanced toward the window. "It's late, Nolan's going to have our hides if he catches us..." After a moment, she smirked. "Lead the way, Perry."

The two met the rest of the group outside, and Charlie smirked. "Glad to see there's another hellraiser," he laughed. "You'll like this, I think." He led the way to the Indian cave, then gestured inside. "Ladies first," he said, nudging her gently inside.

Once they had all settled in and the bit of Thoreau had been read, Charlie passed around cigarettes. She frowned. "Todd, will you switch places with me?" she suddenly asked. He was the closest to the opening of the cave.

"Sure, why?" he asked, getting up to move.

She rolled her eyes. "Smoke makes me sick. As soon as this place starts getting hazy, I'm out of here."

Neil nodded. "Fair enough. Next time, though, I'm investing in a gas mask for you." He lit up, taking a drag.

After a few minutes, Charlie spoke up. "So basically, the way this works is, we go around and read poems. Whether they're our own compositions, by famous guys, or total unknowns. Anything."

She nodded. "Okay, fine. Who's starting?"

Charlie held up a book and read something, maybe Thoreau, maybe Shakespeare, could have been Tennyson... They got most of the way around the circle before they got to her. "Do you want to read?" Knox spoke up. "You don't have to. Todd didn't."

She nodded, then reached for the book Charlie had held. "May I?"

Once it was in her hands, she flipped through the table of contents, until something caught her eye. She cleared her throat. "_Love and Friendship,_ by Emily Bronte." After glancing around for reactions, she began.

"Love is like the wild rose-briar;  
Friendship like the holly-tree.  
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms,  
But which will bloom most constantly?

The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,  
Its summer blossoms scent the air;  
Yet wait till winter comes again,  
And who will call the wild-briar fair?

Then, scorn the silly rose-wreath now,  
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,  
That, when December blights thy brow,  
He still may leave thy garland green."

There was silence for a few minutes, save the slap of the book as she closed it gently, and then Charlie nodded. "I get it," he said, as though he was thinking it over. "May just be my weird abstract concept, but I think I get it."

They spent a while longer in there, until each boy was on his third cigarette. Aubrey coughed. "I'm gonna be outside, okay guys?" she managed to squeak out.

Knox nodded. "We'll be out in a few minutes, promise."

She grinned and climbed out, but it hadn't been long before Neil followed her. "Didn't think it'd be fair to let you wait alone," he called up to her, putting out his cigarette.

"I would have been fine by myself," she replied, though she reached down to offer him a hand up.

He shrugged, taking the hand. "They're just smoking and talking. You're not really missing out on much, I figured I could afford to wait with you instead."

"How kind of you." She smiled, then went to lean against the side of the cave. "Do you think this is the way things went when Keating was a Poet?"

He thought about that for a moment. "Could have been. Dunno if there was as much cigarette smoke, though."

She laughed. "Good point." Even as she heard Charlie talking about heading up and out of the cave, she grinned. "I think he'd be proud of you guys."

"He hasn't said much about it, but I think he is," he agreed. The boys finally emerged, and he gestured to them. "Shall we?"

She grinned and stepped into the crowd, the group speaking in hushed voices as they returned to the dorms. Once they were back at their rooms, Charlie winked. "Night," he whispered.

Neil's farewell was slightly more... poetic. "Good night! good night! parting is such sweet sorrow / That I shall say good night 'til it be morrow."

She grinned and delivered the next lines in return: "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast / Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!" She waved, and the two slipped into their rooms.


End file.
